Florida Association of Public Insurance Adjusters Launches Statewide Awareness Campaign

MIAMI, Aug. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Marking the 20^th anniversary of Hurricane Andrew and of its own founding, the Florida Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (FAPIA) today launched a statewide public awareness and education campaign to highlight the consumer advocacy and protections that public insurance adjusters provide to policyholders.

FAPIA was founded in 1992 to protect residential and business policyholders in the wake of devastating Hurricane Andrew in South Florida. The campaign, Who's Your Public Adjuster?, features the testimonials of policyholders whose property was damaged during the multiple 2004-05 storms including Hurricane Charley, as well as fires, sinkholes and other damaging events. The campaign comes on the heels of a recent Florida Supreme Court ruling cementing public adjusters' immediate role in helping policyholders after a damaging event, and will raise awareness among homeowners and businesses about the importance of securing a reputable public adjuster.

"As families and small businesses across the state continue their preparations for hurricane season, it is an ideal time to ask, 'Who is your public adjuster? Who will be there to help you through the complicated insurance claims process to ensure you receive your full and fair claim to begin repairs?'" said FAPIA President-elect Rosemary Guilfoyle. "FAPIA's nearly 400 certified public insurance adjusters have for two decades been working on behalf of consumers, walking them through their claims so that they can put their lives back together after a disaster."

Joining Guilfoyle and FAPIA's board of directors were lawmakers including Sen. Gwen Margolis and Rep. Jose Felix Diaz of Miami; Sean Shaw, Policyholders of Florida founder and formerly Florida's Insurance Consumer Advocate; Ray Altieri, immediate past President of the National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters; and Jay Neal, Executive Director  of the Florida Association for Insurance Reform. Also in attendance were local elected officials, FAPIA public adjusters and policyholders.

"Having worked my entire legislative career to look out for constituents' best interests in insurance and other matters, I commend FAPIA for this campaign," said Sen. Margolis, a Miami realtor who was Senate President when Hurricane Andrew struck. "It is too easy for private insurers to look out for their own bottom line at the expense of policyholders. These public insurance adjusters are the only adjusters who work solely on behalf of homeowners and business property owners."

For more information, visit www.whoisyourpublicadjuster.com.

SOURCE Florida Association of Public Insurance Adjusters